The field of the disclosure relates generally to additive manufacturing systems and, more particularly, to systems and methods for recoating a component during the additive manufacturing process.
At least some additive manufacturing systems involve the buildup of a particulate material to make a component. This method can produce complex components from expensive materials at a reduced cost and with improved manufacturing efficiency. At least some known additive manufacturing systems, such as Direct Metal Laser Melting (DMLM), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) and LaserCusing systems, fabricate components using a focused energy source, such as a laser device or an electron beam generator, a build platform, and a particulate, such as, without limitation, a powdered metal. The focused energy source device melts the particulate material on the build platform in and around the area where the focused energy source is incident on the particulate material, resulting in a melt pool. The melt pool cools and forms at least a portion of the next layer in the build process.
In systems like DMLM, the particulate material must be spread over the top of the newly formed layer in a process called recoating, layer by layer, as the build progresses. The uniformity of the structural makeup of the component depends on the uniform distribution of the particulate material for each build layer. Evenly distributing the particulate material to form the next build layer is difficult because of many factors, and inhibits rapid production in the additive manufacturing process. Voids in the part resulting from uneven distribution of the particulate material can result in the part being rejected or possibly malfunctioning during use. Additionally, areas of excessive particulate material in the build layer may cause a high spot on the component that then contacts the recoating device, which may result in a decrease in service life.
As the rate of the recoating process increases, the difficulty of creating a uniform particulate-material build layer increases. Dynamic effects within the particulate bed and particle-to-particle momentum transfer become more prevalent. Additionally, aerodynamic effects due to the rapidly moving recoating device add to the complexity of rapid-rate additive manufacturing processes.